The armchair theologian shares some thoughts that touch upon the real issues of life. I hope you are blessed!

Wednesday, July 03, 2013

GOD'S SPECIAL TREASURES

I can say with all sincerity that my greatest joy is in knowing
Christ as my Savior and Lord. It is
something that far exceeds any earthly pleasure.Sometimes when I
am down about something I find great consolation in my status as a child of
God.I think of how much I love my
daughter and would do most anything for her, but my love for her is weak in
comparison to my heavenly Father's love for me.My love is human and finite; God’s love is Divine and infinite.And I am even more blessed when I read in the
Scripture that God takes special delight in those who delight in Him: “The LORD taketh pleasure in them that
fear him, in those that hope in his mercy” (Psalm 147:11).

When God delights in His
children He often has a special plan or blessing in store for them. This was
the case in the days when Malachi the Prophet penned the last book of the Old
Testament. It was written after the construction
of the Second Temple, a time when spiritual decline was evident in the camp of
God’s people. Many had once again turned away from God,so Malachi came as God’s messenger to prick
their conscience and call them to repentance. The root of the problem is given
in Chapter 1 and verse 6, which says, “A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if
then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my
fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name.
And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?”What stands out is to me is God’s
interrogatory statement, “Where is my fear?” The priests and leaders had become
corrupt, yet there was a community of men and women who did fear the Lord. When
you get to Chapter 3, the division between the unrighteous grumblers and the
godly becomes very apparent.Becausetheir motives were all wrong, the grumblers
felt that serving God was in vain.Their heart was in the wrong place. Their
delight was in earthly things of no lasting value. However, the godly folks feared
the Lord and spoke often to one another (about God), and meditated upon his
name (3:16). In other words, they took delight in heavenly things. Their joy
was in thinking upon the beauty and goodness of the Lord.This is what they treasured.What did the Lord do in return? Well, reading
further, we see that He put their names in His book of remembrance to honor
them in the future and said of them, “They shall be mine… in that day when I
make up my jewels" (3:17).I
believe this speaks of the fact that God will regard them as a special
treasure, because they treasured Him.Jesus said, “For
where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:34).

Dear friend, do you
delight in God and the things of God?Do
you fear the Lord and honor him as a faithful son would honor his father?I trust that you do, and I hope that your
greatest joy is found in your relationship with Jesus Christ.

Welcome

I hope you enjoy your short visit with us. My hope and prayer is that you know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. He died on Calvary's cross to pay the sin debt that you could never pay. Salvation is a free gift that God offers you (Ephesians 2:8,9). If you call upon the Lord Jesus (Romans 10:9), you can be absolutely certain that God has granted you the gift of eternal life (I John 5:13). I pray that someday, I will see you in heaven. May God bless you with His saving grace!